Heat motor



Oct. 17, 1939.

G. R. FOLDS HEAT MOTOR Original Filed April 23, 1932 Patented Oct. ,17, 1939 HEAT MOTOR George R. Folds, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Cook Electric Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application May 18, 1934, Serial No. 726,206, now

7 Patent No. 2,147,695, dated February 21, 1939,

which is a division of application No. 607,034,

April 23, 1932, now Patent No. 1,996,237, dated April 2, 1935. Divided and this application September 8, 1938, Serial No. 228,889

3 claims. (01. 60-25) My invention relates to heat motors and more particularly to a vapor motor adapted to be infiuenced by the action of a volatile fluid, or like means.

ple and inexpensive form of a conical jet disposed between the vessel and the heater. Operation of the power stroke will depress the liquid into the vessel where it will remain as long as the pressure in the heater and the pressure in the vessel 5, The invention is particularly directed to an' are balanced. When the heat is discontinued at 6 improvement upon the structure disclosed and the heater and the temperature is lowered, this claimed in United States Letters Patent No. pressure balance will be destroyed and the rela- 1,983,314, granted December 4, 1934, to Roy M. tively cool liquid in the vessel will surge upwardly Schultz and assigned to the assignee of the into the heater and be sprayed by the conical Jet 10' present application which is a division of original against the hot walls of the heater to cool the i0 patent application Serial No. 607,034, filed April same rapidly.

23, 1932, that resulted in United States-Letters It is to be understood thatthe travelof the Patent No. 1,996,237, issued April 2, 1935, and a vessel on its return stroke is not necessarily limsubsequent divisional application, Serial No. ited to a contraction of the vessel, but may refer 15. 726,206, filed May 18, 1934, that resulted inUnited to an expansion of the vessel wherea reverse 16 States Letters Patent No. 2,147,695, issued Febaction in the operation of the vessel is employed. ruary 21, 1939. Further objects and'advantages of the inven- Devices of this type, which are constructed in tion will be apparent from the following descripthe manner to be influenced by the thermal.extion when taken in connection with the accom- 20 pansion of a volatile fluid, usually consist of an panying drawing in which: 0

expansible and contractible vessel cooperating Figure 1 is an elevational view partly in seewith a suitable source of heat arranged to heat tion of a heat motor embodying the invention; the fluid and increase the pressure within the and vessel. Numerous factors obviously enter into Figs. 2 to 5, inclusive, are vertical sectional the timing of the movement of the vessel. It views of this heat motor, but omitting the lower 26' has been found that the vessel contracts at a portion whereby to illustrate aquick return of the rather slow rate after the heat is discontinued volatile liquid into the tube after the heat has and that the initial contracting movement is slow been discontinued and the pressure balance dedue to the time required before heat is dissipated stroyed.

30. sufliciently to effectively lower the pressure. The In the drawing, wherein, for the purpose of $41 cooling action is usually so slow that it is difiiillustration, there is shown a preferred embodicult to control the contracting movement in ment of the invention, the vapor or heat motor proper timed relation to the movement of other may comprise an expansible and contractible devices, such as temperature controls or regulavessel 5 having a volatile liquid therein and a 5 tors, to which the heat motor may ,be adapted, tube 2 or boiler (forming a part of a heating 85 usually as an actuating element. device) in communication with the vessel and One of the objects of the prsent invention rewhich receives a portion of the liquid. This sides in the provision of an improved form of vessel i is preferably shown as comprising a wellheat or vapor motor having a heating tube or known form of bellows which readily expands or 0 boiler provided with a heating zone communicatcontracts upon an increase of pressure therein. 40 ing with an expansible and contractible vessel Heating tube 2 may be closed at either end and and a source of heat, which are so arranged that communicate at the opposite end with vessel i the contraction of the vessel is made rapid, or and in fact form apart or extension of said accelerated, by rapid cooling of the heating zone vessel.

or heater. As to the specific form of heating device that 45 o Spec fi y, this result y be accommay be used,- it is obvious that an electrical plished by arranging for a rapid return of the resistance coil may be conveniently located ator cool volatile fluid into the heating zone or heater. adjacent heating tube 2. A heating zone will be Accordi ly, h he i q y o d nd he provided within heating tube 2 for heating the pressure rapidly reduced to permit rapid convolatileliquid and driving it into vessel I by W traction of the vessel. I 4 volatilization. The pressure within th tube will -The specific mechanism, which is. an improvebe gradually increased until the level of theiliquid ment over the structure disclosed and claimed-in is depressed, whereupon further volatilization the aforesaid Patent 1,983,314, may take the sim stops as the liquid is driven out oithe heating zone. It is by this means that the predetermined 5.5

the tube will con].

expansion or movement ofvessel I may be effectively obtained and held without danger of the pressure building up to a point where the vessel will burst. This subject matter hasv been, disclosed and claimed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,885,285, granted November I, 1932, to the assignee of the present application.

Although any suitable form of an expansible and contractible vessel may be employed, it is shown as comprising an inverted rigid cup 3 and an expansible and contractible wall 4. Expansible and contractible wall 4 may be any wellknowniorm of bellows arranged in nested relation with respect to cup 3 and hermetically sealed 5 at 5 toa plate in the form of ring 6, to which cup 3 is also hermetically sealed at "I. A movable actuating rod 8 passes through the central opening of ring 6 and is adapted to be attached to the upper end of wall 4 by any suitable means, go such as a plate 9.

A sheet of mica ID, or other suitable insulation, may be wrapped about heating tube 2 so as to provide electrical insulation for an electrical resistance wire or heat coil l2 wound about the tube. Terminal bands l3 and I4 are clamped -at proper points along tube 2 to receive the ends of heat coil l2. While I have showna heat coil of an electrical circuit for furnishing heat or acting as a source of heat for the vapor motor, 39 it will-be understood that any suitable heating means may be employed.

Figs. 2 to 5, inclusive, illustrate in'cross section the construction of the heater and the manner of connecting tube 2 to the outer wall 3 35 of the expansible and contractible'chamber Ill. The lower end of the tube is tapered at IS, the end It entering an opening H in outer wall 3. A jet l8 constructed in the form of a conicallyshaped nipple is inserted in the lower end It 00i tapered end l5 and connected thereto by means of a flange l9 and a soldered' connection 20. A second soldered connection 20 is provided about the outside of lower end I6 and the outer wall 3 about the opening I! to cooperate in pro-' viding a hermetical seal between the lower tube end I6 and the outer wall. Jet I8 is provided with an orifice or small opening 22.

The purpose-of providing jet l8 between the tube and the vessel is to efiect a spraying action by the volatile liquid as the latter returns into the tube whereby to bring the volatile fluid rapidly into contact with the heated wall of the tube.

I flnd that this spraying action of the volatile liquid,.which'is efiected byjet It, reduces the" time required to cool the tube and effects a rea turn of the motor substantially in one-sixth of the time required heretofore in the return of the liquid when the jet I8 was not employed- Figs. 2 to 5, inclusive, illustrate approximately the manner the volatile fluid is returned into the tube byjet l8 when the flow of current through the resistance coil is discontinued by the opening of the switch, which may be in the circuit controlling the flow of current, the upper walls of At least a portion of the vapors in the tube, which holds the unvaporized liquid in chamber ID, will condense'and thereby destroy the pressure balance'between the vapor in the tube and the pressure in chamber III.

After the initial cooling action, which effects initial condensation and drop of pressure, a slight bubbling or spraying of the volatile liquid through orifice 22 into the lower end oi the tube will occur, as shown in Fig. 2. This slight bubbling 7 or spraying will occur for a second or so when.

the spray will immediately take the form shown in Fig. 3. The next form taken by the spray is shown in Fig. 4. It seems that these various forms of the spraying action is not obtained by a slow rising of the spray stream in the tubeto the positions shown in Figs. 3 and 4, but the change is by 'a spurting action of the stream from one spraying position to the other, which.

spurting action is rapid and causes a quick, condensation of the vapor in the tube. This quick m condensation not only shortens the time of the return stroke of the motor, but it permits of a quick action which is quite valuable in many cases, such as operation of certain types of gas valves, etc. The time action of the spraying has been found to be relatively fast, and so much so that by the time the spray takes the form shown in Fig. 5, wherein the volatile liquid is being sprayed directly against the upper'end of thetube, only 20 enough volatile liquid has been returned into the tube to result in the liquid level, which is at that time slightly above the orifice 22. The liquid will be sprayed, however, through any liquid extending'over the orifice 22, as shown in Fig. 5. g5

From experiments, I have found that the heat motor will contract or accomplish its return stroke within 25 to 35 seconds, as compared to the formerly required time of three minutes. This time may vary somewhat, however, with Q vessels of different sizes and capacities. 'Although the expansible and contractible wall 4 is shown in the drawing as expanding'on the return stroke, it is to be understood that'the reverse action in the operation of this wall may g; be used, as illustrated in United States Letters Patent No. 1,885,285, above referred to. Moreover, it will be understood that the above explanation of the action of the fluid returning into the, 1 tube is the result ofmy observations during ceru tain operations I have conducted, but, notwithstanding, I do. not intend to be limited to this action. The invention is directed more broadly to the purpose of efiecting a rapid cooling in considerably less time by a simple device in the 4' form of jet l8. The same result might obviously be obtained by a slight rearrangement of parts which would be within' the contemplatedscope of the invention. Variations in the details of the tube arrangement and heating means may be 5 likewise employed without departing from the invention. a

Jet 18 is an extremely simple and inexpensive device to accomplish the purposes described. It is easily mounted in position at and attached to 55 the lower end of tube 2.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully explain the gist of my invention that others may, by applying current knowledge, readily adopt the same for use under varying 60 conditions of service, without eliminating certain features, which may properly be said to constitute the essential items of novelty involved, which items are intended to be defined and secured to me bythe followingclaims. l

I claim:

1. A motor comprising, in combination, an expansible and contractible vessel and a substantially closed tube in'com'municatlon with said vessel, a volatile fluid in said vessel and said tube, 70 a movable pressure responsive work performing member, and means for vaporizing at least a portion of said volatile fluid and for creating thereby a pressure in said tube and consequently in said vessel whereby to displace the fluid from ma tube into said vessel and actuate said work performing connection, and. a conical let disposed between said vessel and said tube to spray the diqilaced fluid into said tube upon its return from said vessel.

2. A motor comprising. in combination. a work chamber and a heating chamber, both being in communication and iorming substantially 'closed system, a volatile fluid in said chambers, heating means torvaporising at least 'a portion 0! the fluid in ma heating chamber to emu. pressure whereby to displace any unvaporised fluid remaining in said heating chamber into said work chamber. and a conical jet disposed aub- 15 stantially between said chambers to spray the displaced fluid into me heatingchainber upon its fitiirn from said work chamber.

8. A motor comprising. in combination. a work chamber and a heating chamber, both being bers, said let being adapted, upon return or the displaced fluid from said work chamber. to cause the displaced fluid flrst to bubble slightly from said Jet into said heating chamber, and thereafter in a spray or increasing height until contacting substantially all the heated surfaces 0! said heating chamber.

. GEORGE It; IOIDB. 

